The Heart of Rebellion
by chibi angelle
Summary: Sakura is a professional assassin who lives in the time of history's most ruthless and cruel monarchs. The Li clan has a plan to overthrow the throne with one whom Sakura needs to take under her wing. The problem is, he's a man, and Sakura hates men.
1. Intro

Silver 

**By Chibi Angelle**

It was so early in the morning the sun hadn't even gotten up yet. All was still, the night creatures were just going to bed and the day creatures were just getting up. And yet, there was one who was fully awake.

A girl sat on the straw-thatched roof of the cottage she had built with her own hands. Her eyes were closed and she seemed so incredibly motionless that she could've been asleep. Her breathing was deep and even; _In, out. In, out. _She was meditating. She could feel the tension in the air, so thick it was almost visible, preceding the bearer of its news.

A soft breeze blew in her face, pushing her long auburn hair out of the way. With it, she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. They were light and careful, like someone trying to sneak up on her. She could see their aura, a light lavender color surrounding the figure's body, outlining it perfectly. Suddenly, a piece of metal whistled toward the girl on the roof.

With her eyes still closed, she leaned slightly back and to the left. Her hand shot up, catching it perfectly. Her thumb and pinky slid behind the hilt of the dagger while her palm rested flat on the blade. She looked at the pommel of the dagger, it had a single amethyst under and intricately engraved 'T'.

"Nice try, Tomoyo. You almost had me that time." The girl smiled kindly at her friend and apprentice.

"Hmph! As if, you're really nice Sakura, a total liar, but very nice." Tomoyo told her friend with a smile.

She was right, of course. The only person who could've matched her skills in anything was Nadeshiko, Sakura's mentor. But she was long gone now, murdered by some man in her sleep. For that she hated men. Nades had been her only family, and they took her away. Even so, Sakura had taken her place. She needed to continue living. Though the girl had only seen eighteen summers, she was still the best assassin… in the realm. She even had a bit of magic in her, nothing strong but it was magic nonetheless.

She flipped off the roof and landed neatly in front of Tomoyo. "Well, you could be as good as me as soon as you get the hang of waking before the sun instead of lazing about in bed all morning! You should move in with me, so I can wake you up when needed and train you better." She smiled at her friend. "And, you could teach me how to cook." She added conspirationally. Sakura could sleep in a tree and kill a man with her teeth, but cooking seemed to be much of a challenge for her.

The girl before her smiled. She was the same age but nowhere in the same league as her in combat. "Yeah, and I could mend your clothes. Look at the state of this, Sakura!" She grabbed the girl's arm and fingered the tear in the sleeve. "You should take better care of your clothing!" She was a skilled seamstress and took it as a personal offense when people around her wouldn't let her fix their clothes.

"Hai, mama." Sakura teased. "Come inside for a cup of tea." The girls walked into the cozy cottage and Tomoyo sat at the table while Sakura prepared breakfast. Sakura set a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea in front of her friend. "Itadakimasu!" They said together. Tomoyo hungrily started on the porridge while Sakura watched her intently. The porridge was almost finished when Tomoyo noticed that Sakura hadn't even touched her food.

"Why aren't you… Aw crap!" She realized that this was another test and she had failed. Tomoyo had forgotten to check the food for poison.

"You could be dead by now, Moyo." Sakura said solemnly. "Even thought you're with me, never let your guard down."

Tomoyo bowed her head, she was really just too trusting. Her friend reached over and touched her arm. "Don't worry, okay? Just… try harder next time. Hey, to what do I owe the pleasure of your early morning visit? Usually you would be asleep and I'd have to wake you up with a bucket of ice water. Who beat me to it?" She said, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot. Yelen-san came over and asked me to deliver a message to you because she doesn't know where you live." She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Sakura.

"Thanks. You wanna hear what it says?"

"No, it might be something she didn't want me to hear." Tomoyo replied, already heading for the door.

"It's okay. She didn't have to send you, she could've found me with her magic. So I think she meant for you to see this letter also."

When Sakura finished the letter, Tomoyo understood why Yelen wanted her there; to keep Sakura from burning her house down.

"THEY WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!"

**And that's the end of the chapter. I know it's short but it's just the intro to get you pumped about my story. Review please! I'll update faster if you do. Thanks.**

**-Chibi Angelle-**


	2. Nice to Meet You

The Heart of Rebellion 

**Chapter 2: -Stab- Nice to meet you**

**By Chibi Angelle**

_Dear Sakura,_

_As you are well aware, our kingdom is in a steady state of decline. We, the Li clan elders and myself, believe it would be best for everyone if you could take my son, Li Syaoran, and teach him your ways. We would like to arrange for him for him to take the throne and he will need to know self-defense. He is skilled in the diplomatic areas but is a bit weak in the techniques of fighting. He has been learning magic these past few years. We believe he will be an adequate candidate and we desperately need your assistance. We will not take no for an answer. Please collect him from the Kiwazaki Tower as soon as you receive this letter._

_If, even after you have trained him, you believe he will be incapable of taking the throne, we will find someone else and not bother you again. Let this challenge be a testament to your skills in your profession. My son, along with his cousin, Hiragizawa Eriol (who is as skilled as a magician as you are in your profession), will await your arrival. Thank you for your time._

_Sincerely,_

_Li Yelen and the Li Clan Elders_

"Sakura, calm down! Come on, Yelen-san is right, we need to do this, not for the empire, but the people in it. We all have to make sacrifices. Please do this. My sister has to work twenty hours a day at a dingy bar where everyone hits on her because of the taxes Emperor Chabi raised. We need a just ruler. I think we can do this." Tomoyo tried to convince her friend.

"But Moyo…" She whined. "It's her _son. _He's probably a snobby, obnoxious brat who is used to getting everything and will never pay attention and impossible to train."

"So… you're going to do it, then?" Tomoyo asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am! Didn't you hear the letter? She might as well have said that if I can't do this, I'm not the best fighter in the realm. I can't turn down a challenge like that! Pack up your stuff, and meet me back here in half an hour. And no, you cannot bring any fabric with you, if we need disguises, we'll steal some along the way, alright?" Sakura told her.

"Are you sure you want me to come? I'll just slow you down." Sakura looked at her best friend like she had gone crazy.

"Are you insane?" She exploded. "Of course I want you to come!! What would I do without you? Plus, you haven't finished your training. Don't think you can weasel your way out of extra training hours, missy. Now get going!" She barked affectionately. Tomoyo beamed and skipped off to her house, which was on the other side of the forest.

Sakura grabbed a burlap sack and shoved some food, all the money she had and an extra pair of clothes and shoes into it. She got her saddle bags and put her sword, a peculiar piece of weaponry as it changed color according to her mood (right now it was silver with excitement and red with anger, well she was always angry at everything all the time, even if it was just a little bit. It had been this way since Nades died) among other magical properties, her shield (which was just an ordinary hunk of metal but had still saved her ass plenty of times) and some more food into them. Lastly, she slipped on the necklace that had once belonged to her mother and the ring Nades had given to her before she died. The ring, a blood red stone magically embedded into silver, had the power to increase Sakura's Magic. Without it, she could keep a small bonfire going. With it, she could light an entire forest in the rain. (The tree women still remembered and as such she couldn't walk through the forest at night) the entire procedure took her about fifteen minutes. She grabbed her stuff and walked out to the stables where her black mare, Nightshade, and Tomoyo's roan gelding, Dusty, where practically prancing in their stalls, eager for a ride.

She had saddled Nightshade and was just fixing the saddlebags when Tomoyo entered, carrying a medium-sized bag in one hand and her weaponry in the other. Sakura helped her load her stuff onto her horse when she realized something was missing. "Hey, where's the dagger that you threw at me this morning?" Tomoyo lifted her pant leg slightly, revealing the amethyst-encrusted blade underneath. Sakura smiled at her. "Good thinking, I've got a few, myself. You ready?" She nodded. "Let's be off, Hyah!" She said to her horse, gently applying pressure with her knees.

Kiwazaki Tower

"Excuse me, what? I don't need a girl to teach me how to fight! Girls can't fight, and this one'll probably be too busy drooling over me to teach me anything." Syaoran had just received his mother's message via Eriols' scrying glass and, to put it simply, he was definitely not happy. His cousin, however, was overjoyed.

"Yay! People! I am absolutely suffocating here with just you as my company, cousin Syao-kun. I'm sorry, but you are just so dull."

"Why you little… you're going to pay for that." He cupped his hands together, focusing his energy into that one area. A pulsing red and orange ball appeared almost immediately. He was about to hurl it at his cousin when Eriol blocked off his power, causing the little ball to disappear. "Hey! That's cheating you-" Eriol silenced him with a hand gesture. He was deep in the trance of his ability to scry on the wind.

"People coming. Twenty men, fully armored. No chance, not even with magic. Hide 'til the girl comes." His cousin broke out of his trance to stare at him. "What are you waiting for? They're already on the stairs!" And with that, he shoved Syaoran in a small closet with a sword and pulled the door shut with only a sliver of an opening for him to see out.

Eriol chanted a few words and became invisible. "I still don't understand why you won't teach me that trick." Syaoran grumbled.

"When you're invisible, you can see all things, both visible and invisible. That's something you're not ready for yet. Now be silent, they are here." Eriol told him. He could sense that Eriol had moved to the far side of the room.

Five men burst through the door, looking suspiciously about. As a whole, their eyes set on the closet door. Syaoran closed his eyes and readied himself for an attack when a figure in travel-worn closed jumped into the room, gaining their attention.

Sakura and Tomoyo

They had ridden at full speed toward the tower since it was only a half hour ride from Sakura's cottage. When they reached there, their horses were breathing heavily but were otherwise none the worse for wear. However, Sakura noticed some thirty horses tethered outside by the water trough. Sakura told Tomoyo to stay and care for the horses and kill anyone suspicious. Tomoyo had started to protest but Sakura silenced her with a gesture. "Please, I need to do this alone. Come up only when I whistle. Okay?"

"Alright. But don't get yourself killed okay?" Sakura nodded. "Promise?" She smiled and spat on her hand then held it out for Tomoyo to shake. Her friend smiled and repeated the gesture.

"Well, I gotta go and save the world. Take care, sweetie." And with that, Sakura skipped away. She took off her cloak and her large, floppy hat and rolled them on the ground until they looked weathered and dusty. She put them on and rounded the corner. Slouching so much that her back was parallel to the ground, she approached the guards stationed at the front. "Please sir, can you spare some bread?" She asked in a hoarse, cracking voice.

"No! Be gone peasant!" One of the guards yelled.

Sakura straightened her back. "Wrong answer."

She unsheathed her sword and cut both of their necks in one fluid motion. Grinning, she entered. Ten guards on the first floor met her. As they converged around her, she took them out. To her, they were just getting in line for their death. After checking all the rooms on the first floor, she ran up the stairs to the next. Five guards opposed her. Laughing, she threw them over her shoulder and down the stairs. She didn't even bother checking the other rooms; she could sense the magician's aura further upstairs. It seemed panicked. They needed help, well, that's what she here for wasn't it?

She dashed into the room the aura was coming from and saw five men advancing toward a closet. She knew immediately that Yelen's stupid son was hiding in there. _What an idiot. _

She took a running start and kicked the one closest to her. This started a chain reaction and knocked over him and his comrades. She gave the one she kicked first a rabbit punch to the forehead, resulting in unconsciousness. The second one tried to stab her and barely hit her, a tiny gash on the inside of her thigh. She stomped on his groin area and pressed a nerve on his neck, causing him to spaz and freeze in the uncomfortable position he was in. The remaining three all charged at her at the same time. She knocked all three of their heads together. Once they were on the ground, she moved all five of their bodies in an awkward position, with their limbs all tangled up in each other's and then tied them so they stayed that way.

The figure in the closet leapt out and attacked her from behind. Before he could even touch her, she spun around and kicked him in the jaw. She jumped on top of him and pinned him easily with her forearm. "Rule number one; don't attack from behind, that's low." She whispered to him. She sensed another presence rushing at her. He straightened quickly and roundhouse kicked Eriol in what she assumed to be the face. She jumped on him and told him, "Show yourself, magician. I'm not here to hurt you. Li-san sent me." She heard faint chanting beneath her and an attractive and smiling young man appeared. His deep blue hair was short and disheveled. His eyes were smiling mischievously while his mouth remained perfectly straight. She felt the boy who was hiding in the closet rush at her again. Exasperated, she gave him a solid kick to the stomach. "What did I just say?!" She yelled at the curled up figure on the floor.

Someone was at the doorway. She cleared her throat. "Looks like you're making friends already, Sakura." Sakura turned her head.

"Duck!" She screamed. Tomoyo dropped to the floor instantly. The sword sang through the air to where the girl's head would've been. Sakura threw the dagger in her left sleeve at the assailant, who was already trying to flee down the staircase. It caught him in the back, but it was obvious he was still alive. Tomoyo got up and ran to where her friend and two other conscious men where sitting. "I thought I told you to stay with the horses, Daidouji-chan." Her sudden lapse into formality told Tomoyo just how disappointed Sakura was in her. "All of you stay in this room. Fight anyone who gets into the room, other than me. Stay! I mean it." Sakura left the room and shut the door behind her.

"Screw her! I don't have to listen to a little girl." The chestnut-haired boy got up and opened the door. Sakura's bloody dagger embedded itself in the door just a hair' breadth in front of his nose. "I SAID 'STAY'!" Came Sakura's angry voice. Needless to say, he shut the door quickly.

Tomoyo was staring at the ground, so deeply disappointed in herself. "Is she always like that?" Eriol asked in amazement. Tomoyo nodded. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be okay soon. My name's Eriol, I'm the magician."

"I'm Tomoyo, Daidouji Tomoyo. I'm supposed to be Sakura's apprentice. Nice to meet you."

Eriol cleared his throat and jerked his chin toward where Syaoran was sitting in a corner, glaring at the door. "This sulky baby is my cousin, Syaoran. Call him Li, he likes it better when you do that."

"Shut up Eri-kun, you useless bastard." Apparently, Syaoran was pretty upset at having almost being killed twice today.

"Is he always like that?" Tomoyo whispered, giggling. Eriol was about to reply when the door flew open, the three of them tensed and Tomoyo threw a dagger at where she estimated the head would be.

Sakura caught it without looking up. "Why didn't you stay?" She demanded.

"You always get to have all the fun. And I thought you needed my help." Tomoyo said.

"Fun?!" She shouted. "Getting you almost killed is _fun?!_ If I hadn't warned you, you'd be dead by now! Look, Moyo, I promised your parents that I would take care of you. And yes, you will get to come with me on missions, but only _when I say so. _In the meantime please, just do what I tell you, okay? I know what you're capable of. You'll do stuff that I think you're ready for." She turned to the two cousins. "Any questions, comments?"

"I ain't gonna take no orders from a little girl." Syaoran grumbled. He lifted his hand to brush hair from his face when a ninja star came out of nowhere and pinned it to the wall, the hand, that is.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Syaoran screamed in pain. Another sharp star came and embedded itself his pinkie.

"One: no swearing. Two: You are going to take orders from me if you want to live, alright? So just shut the _fuck_ up." Sakura mocked. "Anything else?" She was greeted with a newly silent Syaoran and a smiling Eriol. "Good, pack your stuff and saddle your horses. We leave in ten minutes, I have some unfinished business to attend to." She ran up the rest of the stairs. Metal on metal sounded and loud groans were heard. Sakura came back down the stairs and frowned, "Two at the gate, ten on the first floor, five on the second, five on the third, three on the fourth. Thirty horses." She grinned at Tomoyo. "So you're bored, huh?" Tomoyo grinned back and followed her down the stairs, calling over her shoulder, "In ten minutes, you better be downstairs and ready to roll, or else she'll throw you out the window."

The girls had dispatched the rest of the remaining guards easily. They spent the remaining eight minutes taking the saddles off the horses and freeing them. Sakura piled all the saddles in a certain spot and going back into the tower. Tomoyo heard faint shouting inside and Syaoran flew out of the window to land painfully on the pile of saddles and saddlebags that had accumulated at the same time Eriol walked breezily out the front door. Tomoyo walked over to Syaoran, who was groaning on his makeshift bed. "Told ya so."

Sakura leapt out the window, did a double flip in the air and landed lightly on her feet. "Now that we're all here, let's go."

Tomoyo, Eriol and Sakura were readying the horses for Syaoran who was apparently incapable due to the fact he was just thrown out the window. To this Sakura had snorted, "Wimp. I've done that before from the same height and without cushions, too. Damned spoiled brat."

"They came not long after we received the message from the elders. What does that mean?" Eriol said to Sakura.

"It means that you have a leak. Don't worry about that, just think of it as… extra training. I won't let your cousin get hurt... much." Sakura replied, smirking. "Get your lazy ass up. We're about to start your training you useless idiot." Sakura yelled to the Syaoran the 'useless idiot'. He groaned but didn't move. "Oh for goodness sakes'…" She muttered.

Sakura grabbed his ear, and dragged him over to the horse his cousin had saddled for him.

After several hours of long riding, it started to get dark. They set up camp, without the help of Syaoran and much cursing from Sakura, in a clearing in an apple grove. "Who wants first watch?" Tomoyo asked.

"Me." Syaoran answered almost instantly.

"You think you can protect us, little boy?" Sakura sneered at him.

"I can better than you can, girly." He shot back at her.

She nodded dubiously. "Sure you can. If you say so." She climbed up a tree, curled into a ball and was instantly asleep.

It was late; Syaoran judged it to be about midnight when he let his eyes flutter shut and was soon transported to the land of dream. He awoke to a cold blade on his throat. "Idiot, it's called 'watch' for a reason. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!!" Sakura grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him up against the tree. He felt bugs crawling into his back.

"Ewewewewewewew bugs in my shirt, get them out now." Syaoran squirmed, failing pathetically to get out of Sakura's firm grip. She threw him on the ground. With horror, he felt the tiny exoskeletons crunching against his back. He pulled his shirt off and rubbed around his back, trying to clean the greenish yellow blood off of it.

"Squeamishness is not a quality valued in this line of work, little boy. Now that you're done, I suggest we start your training."

"What? Not even, girly. I'm going back to sleep. The sun ain't even up yet."

"Then you'll have to go through me." Sakura raised her sword, poised to fight. She tossed him one of the extra swords she'd stolen from the Tower attacker's saddlebags.

"Gladly." He said arrogantly. He swung at her head and she blocked it. Then, manipulating her sword to move in a circular motion, forced his to point at the ground. She smashed it to pieces with her sword, which was purple with annoyance and yellow in bemusement along with the customary red. "No fair! Your sword's better!" He pointed his finger accusingly until she twisted it back, making him give a little high pitched squeal. "Fine, take mine. I can take you with or without your metal." She handed her sword over and waited for him to attack. He never did.

"It's so heavy…" He whined, not even being able to lift it off the ground. After punching him so hard he sailed through the air and landed on Eriol, she sighed. This was going to be a long day.

**So whaddaya think? Huh? Huh? Please review! Arigatou gozaimasu (thank you very much).**

**-Chibi Angelle-**


	3. The Importance of Blending

Thanks to dbzgtfan2004 (gladly.) and kinomotoblossom (Wow, thank you. That's really sweet of you to say ) Um, Yeah. Syaoran is supposed to be weak, I'm trying to change up the story because I'm so sick of it being that the girl has to be weak. How sexist is that?)

I am SO SO sorry this took so long, guys. I just have so much on my plate right now. But. the more reviews i get, the faster i shall update )

"Okay, since you suck too much for me to spar with you, I'll start a training evaluation session to see exactly how much I need to teach you. If you give me guff, I will punch you, no questions asked. You got that?" Sakura yelled at him.

"Yup." He shrugged.

"Good. I don't know what you rich people do in your spare time so you'll forgive me if I instantly assume you're an idiot. Do you know how to play 'tag'?"

"Yeah, you run around and people chase you. Why?"

Sakura leaped forward and punched him on the shoulder. "Tag! You're it!!" And she ran away at full speed. Syaoran followed at a jogging pace, unable to believe this woman was supposed to be training him. "Pick up the pace, maggot! I wanna see those legs moving! They're not just for display, are they?" Sakura screamed back at him. Motivated by annoyance, he ran at full speed, too. He ran until his legs and lungs were burning and even after that. He looked up and accelerated his already breakneck speed. She was a few feet away, just standing there and watching him smugly.

Suddenly, he dived at her. She tried to do a back-flip at the same time his body collided with hers. This uplift, combined the momentum of his speed, sent them both flying. She grabbed the front of his shirt and turned them in midair, so that she was on top. Then she maneuvered her body so that her chin was on his shoulder and the nape of his neck rested on the back of her shoulder with her arms on his. When they finally hit the ground, she stretched her legs so that they skid on top of the soil and neither of them was injured; her bent knees absorbed all the shock and her shoulder was locked under his head so not a single chestnut hair touched the ground.

"Very good," She murmured in his ear. "I underestimated you. Now get up." And she sprung up on her feet again, brushing at the front of her shirt that had gotten dusty. When he'd gotten up, she told him, "Come, I want to see how far you can run."

And she set off at a moderately fast pace but nothing close to her full speed. He followed her up a range of several hills, through a muddy river and up a steep slope. When she had finally stopped, he was breathing heavily and she had barely broken a sweat. She breathed in deeply. "Stand up." She ordered, and he struggled to comply. "Look around; what do you see?"

"Trees, greenery, rivers." He puffed in reply.

"Can you see our camp?"

"No." He said after a minute of fruitless searching.

"Look down." He grinned sheepishly when he saw the smoke of the fire from their little apple grove, near the bottom of the hill they were standing on. "I'm going to teach to look for things, to notice the little, tiny, minute things that some people don't even realize they do. It'll keep you alive, I promise. So you say you see trees and greenery, do you, there is something else. But I'll tell you that later. Close your eyes." He looked at her for a moment and wondered where the hard-ass mercenary had gone. She was almost… gentle; it unnerved him. Her fist flew out of nowhere and hit him right on the nose. "Never let your guard down, boy. Close your eyes."

"Okay, I am."

"Imagine what you've just seen, the valley, the fields, everything."

"Okay."

"What is next to the river that we just ran through?" Syaoran desperately ran through his memory, unable to remember what he had passed on the way here.

"I don't know."

"Don't know or can't remember?"

"I can't remember."

"Why not?"

"Well, gosh Sakura-san. I didn't stare at it for that long." Truth was, he was more concentrated on not slipping in the mud.

She punched him on the nose. "Remember next time. You've got to notice your surroundings. Open your eyes." He looked to what she was staring at; the river they had determinedly sprinted through. And next to it was, "A mountain." He hung his head shamefully; unable to understand how he could have missed something so damn huge, if he couldn't see a mountain, how was he supposed to notice tiny things? She patted him on the shoulder and he flinched away from her touch. She appeared to not have noticed. "I have that effect on people." Or, maybe she had. "Don't worry, we'll start with big, noticeable things and then work on smaller minute twitches. Now let's have some breakfast. By the way, show me how much power you've got."

"Okay," He grinned and cupped his hands. A purple cloud appeared, circled both teens and carried them down to where the inviting smell of bacon was coming from. They were still ten feet off the ground when Sakura suddenly jumped on his lap. It shook him out of his concentration and caused him to stop using magic. He was hoping this time she would cushion his fall again. She didn't. And he winced as the ground reminded him how hard it was. But he immediately got up again, not wanting to look weak when Sakura had also hit the dirt and was already sitting by the fire, eating.

Tomoyo secretly grinned at Eriol as if to say, See? She's already toughened him up. Sakura, oblivious to their looks, tore into her meal like she wasn't going to eat anymore after this. "Eat up," She told Syaoran through mouthfuls. "we're skipping lunch; got lot's of work to do." He sighed heavily and began wolfing down his meals in a similar fashion.

After breakfast, they went for another jog. This time, they went through the same route as last time and Syaoran, rejuvenated by the bacon and eggs, was able to keep up with Sakura without too much puffing and panting. Then, they were at the top of the steep hill again and Syaoran took one last look around before sitting down next to Sakura. She crossed her legs but motioned for him to keep his legs stretched out. She placed each of his extended legs on her gracefully folded ones. He looked uneasy, but he didn't mind. Actually, her legs were quite nice, and her skin was so soft…

_Snap out of it Syaoran. Concentrate. _

He thought he told himself and then realized the voice was somehow feminine. It was only when he saw Sakura's impish smile that he realized she could read his mind and was talking to him telepathically. _Okay, you can either close your eyes or keep them open. The catch, however, is that if you choose to leave your eyes open, you have to stay staring at me. _The voice was smug, like she knew that he was confident that he could keep his cool under her unwavering gaze.

_Bring it on. _He mentally dared her.

She shrugged. _Have it your way. _She took his left leg and started massaging it, knowing the exact point where to put her hands to cause maximum relaxation. _What was beside the river we passed?_

_A mountain. _He was having trouble meeting her eyes, he was so relaxed that he wanted to lie down and sleep.

_Good. What kind of fruit grows on the trees near our camp? _She started massaging the other leg.

_Umm… apples. _

_Don't hesitate; say the first thing that comes to mind. _She reprimanded. _What is the color of Tomoyo-chan's eyes?_

_Blue. _He blurted out. _I mean, black._

_Wrong, Tomoyo-chan's eyes are purple. And as punishment… _Her firm hands worked their way upward, so they were now rubbing his hamstrings.

_How is this punishment?_

_You'll see. _She smirked at his confusion. _What is the color of my sword?_

_Mostly orange._

_Wrong. It's mostly RED. _She moved her hands upward so they were mid-thigh and dangerously close to his special spot. (He used to have girls at the castle massage him like this, usually the massage ended up as something more, but I won't go into any details.) By now, he was having trouble concentrating, let alone meeting her eyes. _Control yourself, you over-hormonal child._

_I'm not a child. _He retorted, enraged. How dare she call him a child? He was a man, and not in need of her assistance in ANY way at all.

_Except with your crappy attitude, lack of positivity and sloppy fighting techniques. _Except that. _What is the color of my horse?_

_Black._

_Moyo-chan's horse?_

_Reddish._

_Eriol-kun's horse?_

_When did you two get so friendly? _He wondered absent-mindedly. _Oh, I mean, uh, white?_

_Wrong. _Her hands moved upward, rubbing the groin area, but not the actual thing.

_Oh, yeah. I like it like that. Oh, ooh yeah. _He commented as his uncontrollable urges got the best of his anatomy. Hey, in the event of an emergency, our little Syaoran will take it from where he can get it, and the only thing running through this boy's mind is: DAMN this girl is FIINE. And she _so_ wants me.

_Do you? _She purred seductively, moving closer and straddling him. _How about this? _She smirked and grinded her toned lower half against his.

_Mmm yeah. _He replied, for lack of thought. It was absolutely impossible to think with THIS going on.

_Last question: What is the color of my bra? _

_Why don't you show me? _He whispered huskily. He had always been good at pick-up lines. She leaned forward, pulling her shirt down as she got nearer. Suddenly, she pulled her dagger out of her shirt and pointed at his neck, aggressively drawing a small drop of blood. Syaoran's excitement suddenly took on a look of horror. This was another test, and he had failed. Again.

_You. Could. Be. Dead. _She emphasized every word by punching him in the nose. The facial protrusion, which was still rather delicate from this morning's abuse, decided at that very moment to bleed. Profusely. Sakura looked disgusted at his apparent weakness. _Women like that in this field are called honey pots. Don't ask why, it's a long story. Now go do laps. I want you to run the EXACT same way we did to camp and back. Then bring me back a blue beetle. _

_H-hai, Sakura-san. _Weak and wobbly kneed, Syaoran started running. After a few stumbling attempts, he was able to get a good speed. Exactly the way, huh? That should be easy, I'll just have to follow our footsteps, after all we did run through mud. Pleased with himself, he retraced their steps at a steady pace until… "Halt! You there, boy."

What he thought were his and Sakura's footsteps weren't his at all. He looked up shakily and took in what he saw; Two men on horses and another by the fire. The one that had addressed him as 'boy' was standing up, with his sword unsheathed. They seemed lax and easy going, and their armor was mismatched and scruffy. They must be poor knights.

"Have you any money on ye, boy?" The man said, pointing his sword at Syaoran's throat.

Or, they could be bandits.

"N-n-no, sir." Syaoran replied, feigning fear. "I'm but a simple farmer's boy, running errands for me father. We live a peaceful life sir, but we don't 'ave enough money fer me ta be goin' around with it in me pockets."

"A poor farmer's boy, eh? Well. I think we could let ye go. What do you think, Jin-san?" The one who had his sword around Syaoran's throat called over his shoulder.

"I think you should slit the liar's throat." 'Jin-san' was one of the men sitting astride their horses. His was clearly a horse designed for speed; its sleek and shiny black forelegs were slender and muscular, prancing in its restlessness. Its body seemed small and its face was rather angular, hinting to Syaoran about its job in cutting through the wind.

"Beggin' ya pardon, sir. But honestly 'ave no money on me." Syaoran stuttered.

"You weren't lying about _that _part. I meant the whole bit about being a farmer's boy and such. It's obvious you're not."

"Oh, b-b-but I am-"

"Look at the way your hand are, their smooth and soft, definitely strong for sure, but they haven't seen a day's work in their lives. And the way you walk, you walk tall and proud. Not at all like a farmer's boy would be if he chanced to walk in upon a group of raggedy knights. Another thing; you don't smell bad. No offense to farmer's boys," he nodded to his companion sitting on the other horse. "but freshwater and soap for that matter are privileges that most farmers don't have time for."

Syaoran hung his head in shame. He had failed Sakura and now he was going to die. If he survived this would have come across as exceedingly important information.

"Do you understand now the importance of paying attention?" Sakura's voice sounded behind Syaoran's ear, and all present except Jin and Sakura herself jumped in surprise. "If you fully understand what sets one apart from the rest, you can learn to take this and use it for your own disguise. A disguise is not only clothes you wear, it's also the way you act." Syaoran nodded.

"Good to see you little Saki-chan." Jin grinned easily, jumping down from his horse.

"I wish I could say the same for you, you overgrown pig." Sakura jokingly replied.

"Ah, now. Is that anyway to speak to the person who taught you everything you know?"

"But not everything _you _know, which is the cause of my resentment."

"Oh shut up you little monster," He said, silencing her next retort with a hug. Surprisingly (to Syaoran anyways) she hugged him back. And then, not so surprisingly, she stomped on his foot.

"I ain't no monster."

"Care to prove that?"

"With pleasure." She backflipped into a fighting stance and beckoned him forward with two fingers. He advanced and threw an almighty punch at her head. Syaoran, who had trouble following their conversation and was even more confused by their behavior, tensed his muscles to spring to Sakura's defense when the man who was originally holding a sword to Syaoran's throat held him back. "They're just play-fightin' lad. Jin would never hurt our little Saki-chan."

"You sure?" Syaoran asked as Jin landed a loud thumping punch to Sakura's jawbone. Sakura grunted in pain and stumbled back before spinning and flipping her foot upward near Jin's kneecap, but above it so as to not shatter it. Jin clenched his jaw and silently screamed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

**Okay guys I decided to end it here because I haven't updated and this chapter is making me lose interest. So. I shall update soon! Up up and awaaay….. R&&R guys.**

3 Chibi Angelle 3


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